Introducer sheath having expandable portions

ABSTRACT

An introducer sheath (300) includes a body (305) extending between a leading end (304) and a trailing end (302) and including a plurality of rectangular segments (310) extending from the leading end to the trailing end. The segments are joined to one another along longitudinal edges to form a tubular structure with a lumen (308) therethrough, the segments being joined at vertices (314). The body has a collapsed condition with a first cross-section and is configured to transition from the collapsed condition to an expanded condition with a second cross-section when an apparatus is passed through the lumen, the second cross-section having a maximum dimension larger than a maximum dimension of the first cross-section.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/213,756 filed Sep. 3, 2015, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to percutaneous medical procedures, andmore particularly to devices providing access into the body forperforming percutaneous medical procedures. Still more particularly, thepresent invention is related to prosthetic heart valve replacement,including devices, systems, and methods for transcatheter delivery ofcollapsible prosthetic heart valves into a patient.

Prosthetic heart valves that are collapsible to a relatively smallcircumferential size can be delivered into a patient less invasivelythan valves that are not collapsible. For example, a collapsible valvemay be delivered into a patient via a tube-like delivery apparatus suchas a catheter, a trocar, a laparoscopic instrument, or the like. Thiscollapsibility can avoid the need for a more invasive procedure such asfull open-chest, open-heart surgery.

Collapsible prosthetic heart valves typically take the forth of a valvestructure mounted on a stent. There are two types of stents on which thevalve structures are ordinarily mounted: a self-expanding stent and aballoon-expandable stent. To place such valves into a delivery apparatusand ultimately into a patient, the valve must first be collapsed orcrimped to reduce its circumferential size.

When a collapsed prosthetic valve has reached the desired implant sitein the patient (e.g., at or near the annulus of the patient's heartvalve that is to be replaced by the prosthetic valve), the prostheticvalve can be deployed or released from the delivery apparatus andre-expanded to full operating size. For balloon-expandable valves, thisgenerally involves releasing the entire valve, assuring its properlocation, and then expanding a balloon positioned within the valvestent. For self-expanding valves, on the other hand, the stentautomatically expands as the sheath covering the valve is withdrawn.

Despite the various improvements that have been made to the collapsibleprosthetic heart valve delivery process, conventional delivery devices,systems, and methods suffer from some shortcomings. For example, inconventional delivery devices for self-expanding valves, largeintroducers risk traumatizing the iliac or femoral arteries, and therisk of trauma increases with introducers having larger diameters.

There therefore is a need for further improvements to the devices,systems, and methods for transcatheter delivery of collapsibleprosthetic heart valves, and in particular, the introduction of suchprosthetic heart valves into the heart. Among other advantages, thepresent invention may address one or more of these needs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In some embodiments, an introducer sheath includes a body extendingbetween a leading end and a trailing end and including a plurality ofrectangular segments extending from the leading end to the trailing end,the segments being joined to one another along longitudinal edges toform a tubular structure with a lumen therethrough, the segments beingjoined at vertices, the body having a collapsed condition with a firstcross-section and being configured to transition from the collapsedcondition to an expanded condition with a second cross-section when anapparatus is passed through the lumen, the second cross-section having amaximum dimension larger than a maximum dimension of the firstcross-section.

In some embodiments, an introducer sheath includes a body extendingbetween a leading end and a trailing end and defining a substantiallytubular configuration with a lumen therethrough, the body having a firstportion including a first material extending from the trailing end tothe leading end, and a second portion including an elastic secondmaterial that extends from the leading end to the trailing end, the bodybeing configured to transition from a collapsed condition to an expandedcondition when an apparatus is passed through the lumen, the expandedcondition having a maximum dimension greater than a maximum dimension inthe collapsed condition.

In some embodiments, a method of delivering a medical apparatus into apatient includes piercing an opening in the patient's body at aninsertion location, at least partially inserting an introducer sheathinto the opening, the insertion sheath including a body having a tubularstructure with a lumen therethrough, the body extending between aleading end and a trailing end, inserting the medical apparatus throughthe lumen of the body, wherein the medical apparatus pushes tubularstructure radially outwardly from a collapsed condition to an expandedcondition, and removing the medical apparatus from the lumen of thebody, whereby the tubular structure returns from the expanded conditionto the collapsed condition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described withreference to the appended drawings. It is to be appreciated that thesedrawings depict only some embodiments of the invention and are thereforenot to be considered limiting of its scope.

FIG. 1A is a top plan view of a portion of an operating handle of aprior art delivery device for a collapsible prosthetic heart valve,shown with a partial longitudinal cross-section of the distal portion ofa catheter assembly;

FIG. 1B is a side elevational view of the handle of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a prior art prosthetic heart valve;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views of one embodiment of an expandableintroducer in the collapsed and expanded conditions, respectively;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views of another embodiment of anexpandable introducer in the collapsed and expanded conditions,respectively; and

FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views of a further embodiment of anexpandable introducer in the collapsed and expanded conditions,respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, the tennis “proximal,” “distal,” “leading” and“trailing” are to be taken as relative to a user using the discloseddelivery devices. “Proximal” or “trailing end” are to be understood asrelatively close to the user, and “distal” or “leading end” are to beunderstood as relatively farther away from the user. Also, as usedherein, the words “substantially,” “approximately,” “generally” and“about” are intended to mean that slight variations from absolute areincluded within the scope of the structure or process recited.

In the description which follows, the structure and function of atransaortic or transfemoral delivery device will be described. It willbe understood, however, that the devices and methods disclosed hereinalso may be used with a transapical or transseptal delivery device.Indeed, the devices and methods described herein may be used inconnection with any minimally invasive procedure to provide a passagewayfor any type of small profile medical device or instrument into apatient's body. An exemplary transaortic delivery device 10 fordelivering a prosthetic heart valve into a patient is shown in FIGS. 1Aand 1B. Transaortic delivery device 10 has a catheter assembly 16 fordelivering the heart valve to and deploying the heart valve at a targetlocation, and an operating handle 20 for controlling deployment of thevalve from the catheter assembly. Delivery device 10 extends from aproximal end 12 to an atraumatic tip 14 at the distal end of catheterassembly 16. Catheter assembly 16 is adapted to receive a collapsibleprosthetic heart valve (not shown) in a compartment 23 defined around aninner shaft 26 and covered by a distal sheath 24.

Inner shaft 26 may extend from operating handle 20 to atraumatic tip 14of the delivery device, and may include a retainer 25 affixed thereto ata spaced distance from tip 14 and adapted to hold a collapsibleprosthetic valve in compartment 23. Retainer 25 may have recesses 80therein that are adapted to hold corresponding retention members of thevalve. Inner shaft 26 may be made of a flexible material such as braidedpolyimide or polyetheretherketone (PEEK), for example. Using a materialsuch as PEEK may improve the resistance of inner shaft 26 to kinkingwhile catheter assembly 16 is tracking through the vasculature of apatient.

Distal sheath 24 surrounds inner shaft 26 and is slidable relative tothe inner shaft such that it can selectively cover or uncovercompartment 23. Distal sheath 24 is affixed at its proximal end to anouter shaft 22, the proximal end of which is connected to operatinghandle 20 in a manner to be described. Distal end 27 of distal sheath 24abuts atraumatic tip 14 when the distal sheath is fully coveringcompartment 23, and is spaced apart from the atraumatic tip whencompartment 23 is at least partially uncovered.

Operating handle 20 is adapted to control deployment of a prostheticvalve located in compartment 23 by permitting a user to selectivelyslide outer shaft 22 proximally or distally relative to inner shaft 26,thereby respectively uncovering or covering the compartment with distalsheath 24. Outer shaft 22 may be made of a flexible material such asnylon 11 or nylon 12, and it may have a round braid construction (i.e.,round cross-section fibers braided together) or flat braid construction(i.e., rectangular cross-section fibers braided together), for example.

The proximal end of inner shaft 26 may be connected in a substantiallyfixed relationship to an outer housing 30 of operating handle 20, andthe proximal end of the outer shaft 22 may be affixed to a carriageassembly 40 that is slidable along a longitudinal axis of the handlehousing, such that a user can selectively slide the outer shaft relativeto the inner shaft by sliding the carriage assembly relative to thehousing. Operating handle 20 may further include a hemostasis valve 28having an internal gasket adapted to create a seal between inner shaft26 and the proximal end of outer shaft 22.

As shown, handle housing 30 includes a top portion 30 a and a bottomportion 30 b. Top and bottom portions 30 a and 30 b may be individualcomponents joined to one another as shown in FIG. 1B. Collectively, topand bottom portions 30 a and 30 b define an elongated space 34 inhousing 30 in which carriage assembly 40 may travel. Optionally, top andbottom portions 30 a and 30 b may further form a substantiallycylindrical boss 31 for accepting a clip, as will be described below.Elongated space 34 preferably permits carriage assembly 40 to travel adistance that is at least as long as the anticipated length of theprosthetic valve to be delivered (e.g., at least about 50 mm), such thatdistal sheath 24 can be fully retracted from around the prostheticvalve. Carriage assembly 40 includes a pair of carriage grips 42, eachattached to a body portion 41. Although the carriage assembly 40 isshown in FIGS. 1A and 1B as having two carriage grips 42, that need notbe the case.

Handle housing 30 further defines a pocket 37 that extends through topportion 30 a and bottom portion 30 b for receiving a deployment actuator21. Pocket 37 is sized and shaped to receive deployment actuator 21 withminimal clearance, such that the location of deployment actuator remainssubstantially fixed relative to housing 30 as it is rotated. Deploymentactuator 21 may be internally coupled to body portion 41 via a threadedshaft or other suitable connection such that rotation of the deploymentactuator in one direction (either clockwise or counterclockwise) pullsthe body portion 41 of carriage assembly 40 proximally through elongatedspace 34.

To use operating handle 20 to deploy a prosthetic valve that has beenloaded into compartment 23 and covered by distal sheath 24, the user mayrotate deployment actuator 21, causing carriage assembly 40 to slideproximally within elongated space 34 in housing 30. Because distalsheath 24 is affixed to outer shaft 22, which in turn is affixed tocarriage assembly 40, and because inner shaft 26 is fixed to housing 30,sliding the carriage assembly proximally relative to the housing willretract the distal sheath proximally from compartment 23, therebyexposing and initiating deployment of the valve located therein.

Delivery device 10 may be used to implant a medical device such as acollapsible stent-supported prosthetic heart valve 100 having a stent102 and a valve assembly 104 (FIG. 2). Prosthetic heart valve 100 isdesigned to replace a native tricuspid valve of a patient, such as anative aortic valve. It should be noted that while the devices disclosedherein are described predominantly in connection with their use toimplant a prosthetic aortic valve and a stent having a shape asillustrated in FIG. 2, the valve could be a bicuspid or other valve,such as the mitral valve.

The expandable stent 102 of prosthetic heart valve 100 may be formedfrom biocompatible materials that are capable of self-expansion, suchas, for example, shape memory alloys, such as the nickel-titanium alloyknown as “nitinol,” or other suitable metals or polymers. Stent 102extends in a length direction L1 from proximal or annulus end 110 todistal or aortic end 112, and includes annulus section 120 adjacentproximal end 110, transition section 121, and aortic section 122adjacent distal end 112. Annulus section 120 has a relatively smallcross-section in the expanded condition, while aortic section 122 has arelatively large cross-section in the expanded condition. Preferably,annulus section 120 is in the form of a cylinder having a substantiallyconstant diameter along its length. Transition section 121 may taperoutwardly from annulus section 120 to aortic section 122. Stent 102 mayalso have different shapes, such as a flared or conical annulus section,a less-bulbous aortic section, and the like, and a differently shapedtransition section 121. Each of the sections of stent 102 includes aplurality of struts 130 forming cells 132 connected to one another inone or more annular rows around the stent. For example, as shown in FIG.2, annulus section 120 may have two annular rows of complete cells 132and aortic section 122 and transition section 121 may each have one ormore annular rows of partial cells 132. Cells 132 in aortic section 122may be larger than cells 132 in annulus section 120 to better enableprosthetic valve 100 to be positioned in the native valve annuluswithout the stent structure interfering with blood flow to the coronaryarteries. Each of cells 132 has a length in length direction L1 of thestent and a width in a perpendicular direction W1.

Stent 102 may include one or more retaining elements 134 at distal end112 thereof, retaining elements 134 being sized and shaped to cooperatewith recesses 80 in retainer 25 of delivery device 10. The engagement ofretaining elements 134 with portions of delivery device 10 helpsmaintain prosthetic heart valve 100 in assembled relationship with thedelivery device, minimizes longitudinal movement of the prosthetic heartvalve relative to the delivery device during unsheathing or resheathingprocedures, and helps prevent rotation of the prosthetic heart valverelative to the delivery device as the delivery device is advanced tothe target location and the heart valve deployed.

Valve assembly 104 of prosthetic heart valve 100 preferably ispositioned in annulus section 120 of stent 102 and secured to the stent.Valve assembly 104 includes cuff 136 and a plurality of leaflets 138which collectively function as a one-way valve by coapting with oneanother. As a prosthetic aortic valve, valve 100 has three leaflets 138.

Although cuff 136 is shown in FIG. 2 as being disposed on the luminal orinner surface of annulus section 120, it is contemplated that cuff 136may be disposed on the abluminal or outer surface of annulus section 120or may cover all or part of either or both of the luminal and abluminalsurfaces. Both cuff 136 and leaflets 138 may be wholly or partly formedof any suitable biological material or polymer such as, for example,polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

Leaflets 138 may be attached along their belly portions to cuff 136 orto stent 102, with the commissure between adjacent leaflets 138 beingattached to a commissure feature 140. As can be seen in FIG. 2, eachcommissure feature 140 may lie at the intersection of four cells 132,two of the cells being adjacent one another in the same annular row, andthe other two cells being in different annular rows and lying inend-to-end relationship. Preferably, commissure features 140 arepositioned entirely within annulus section 120 or at the juncture ofannulus section 120 and transition section 121. Commissure features 140may include one or more eyelets which facilitate the suturing of theleaflet commissure to stent 102.

Prosthetic heart valve 100 may be used to replace a native aortic valve,a surgical heart valve or a heart valve that has undergone a surgicalprocedure. Prosthetic heart valve 100 may be delivered to the desiredsite (e.g., near the native aortic annulus) using any suitable deliverydevice, including delivery device 10 described above. During delivery,prosthetic heart valve 100 is disposed inside compartment 23 of deliverydevice 10 in the collapsed condition. The delivery device may beintroduced into a patient using a transfemoral, transapical, transseptalor any other percutaneous approach. Once the delivery device has reachedthe target site, the user may deploy prosthetic heart valve 100 in themanner described above. Upon deployment, prosthetic heart valve 100expands so that annulus section 120 is in secure engagement within thenative aortic annulus. When prosthetic heart valve 100 is properlypositioned inside the heart, it works as a one-way valve, allowing bloodto flow from the left ventricle of the heart to the aorta, andpreventing blood from flowing in the opposite direction.

An introducer sheath may be useful to advance the delivery device to atarget location. Specifically, an incision may be formed in thepatient's body and the introducer sheath may be placed through theincision to provide a passageway for advancing a medical device into thepatient's body. It has been found that larger introducers risktraumatizing body tissue and that the risk of trauma increases withtime. Thus, it is desirable to have a small introducer sheath thatlocally expands as necessary to allow the passage of medical instrumentsand then contracts when nothing is disposed therein. Although introducersheaths are described below in connection with the delivery of aprosthetic heart valve into a patient, it will be understood that theconcepts described may be useful for any interventional procedure wherean apparatus, such as a medical device or instrument is passed throughan introducer sheath for delivery, implantation or surgical procedures,such as other cardiac repair procedures, balloon angioplasty,laporoscopic surgical procedures, peripheral interventional procedures,and the like.

FIG. 3A illustrates an introducer sheath 300 in a collapsed condition.Introducer sheath 300 extends between trailing end 302 and leading end304 and includes body 305 that is longitudinally pleated so as toinclude a plurality of generally rectangular segments 310 extending fromtrailing end 302 to leading end 304, segments 310 being connected to oneanother in a circumferential manner to define lumen 308 through body305. Body 305 has a substantially star-shaped cross-section in thecollapsed condition, with each segment 310 being joined to adjacentsegments along edges 312 a, 312 b to define outer vertices 314 a andinner vertices 314 b of the star-shaped body. As shown, body 305includes eight outer vertices 314 a and eight inner vertices 314 b, butit will be understood that body 305 may include multiple segments 310and that the terms “star-shaped configuration” may refer to anyconfiguration having three or more outer vertices 314 a and three ormore inner vertices 314 b. In its collapsed condition, introducer sheath300 may have a maximum cross-section “cs1,” measured from one outervertex 314 a to a diametrically opposed outer vertex 314 a, that isbetween about 12 French and about 16 French, and preferably about 14French.

Body 305 may be formed of a shape-memory material that is heat-set intothe star-shaped configuration of FIG. 3A. In some examples, athermoplastic elastomer, such as polyether block amide (PEBA) with adurometer of about 60 to about 70, may be used to form body 305.Segments 310 may have a thickness of about 0.006″, while edges 312 a,312 b may have a reduced thickness of about 0.004″, such that vertices314 a, 314 b are formed at predetermined positions to act as livinghinges.

Body 305 may be flexible so that when a large instrument or medicaldevice, such as delivery device 10, is passed through lumen 308,segments 310 are capable of being pushed radially outward so that body305 transitions from the collapsed condition of FIG. 3A to asubstantially tubular expanded condition shown in FIG. 3B. Once thelarge device or instrument has passed through the lumen, body 305 maycontract once again to its heat-set star configuration.

It is preferable that introducer sheath 300 provide an adequate sealwith the surrounding body tissue through which it passes. While asubstantially circular cross-section (FIG. 3B) is capable of providingsuch a seal, the star-shaped cross-section to which body 305 will returnafter a device has been passed through lumen 308 may in some instancesnot provide an adequate seal. In at least some examples, a sealing ring350 having elastomeric portions 355 may be disposed around body 305adjacent trailing end 302, as shown in FIG. 3A, to provide adequatesealing at the trailing end 302 of introducer sheath 300. With ring 350in place, elastomeric portions 355 fill valleys of the star-shapedconfiguration (e.g., elastomeric portions 355 have a substantiallytriangular cross-section defined by the inner circumference of ring 350and two adjacent segments 310, extending along segments 310 to an innervertex 314 b). Elastomeric portions 355 may be substantially flexiblesuch that as body 305 expands, the elastomeric portions collapse betweenbody 305 and sealing ring 350, as shown in FIG. 3B. Sealing ring 350 mayhave a fixed circumference. In some examples, sealing ring 350 may belonger (e.g., approximately 3 inches) and forms a smooth transition tothe body as shown. Thus, in all conditions, an adequate seal with bodytissue is provided at trailing end 302, such as for example, the femoralarterial wall. In one example, in its expanded condition, introducersheath 300 may have an enlarged lumen 308, with a maximum outercross-section “cs2” that is between about 18 French and about 20 French.In some examples, cs2 may be as large as 24 French.

In use, an incision may be made in the ascending aorta, left ventricle,or other target location and introducer sheath 300 may be advanced intothe body at the target location in the collapsed condition of FIG. 3Aand may remain in the collapsed condition until the user is ready toadvance instruments or devices through lumen 308. Trailing end 302 mayremain outside of the body. As large-diameter instruments are advancedthrough lumen 308 from trailing end 302 to leading end 304, segments 310may be pushed radially outward to enlarge lumen 308 at certain localpositions along the length of body 305 (e.g., not all of body 305 needsto be expanded, but only those portions of body 305 that are subject toa radially outward force from a medical device or instrument). A medicaldevice or other instrument, such as delivery device 10, may be advancedand retracted through lumen 308 of introducer sheath 300 and theprocedure may continue with introducer sheath 300 in place, thecross-section of the introducer sheath expanding as necessary when amedical device or other instruments push segments 310 outwardly, andthen returning to the star-shaped configuration when no radially outwardforce is exerted thereon. While instruments are advanced, thecross-section of introducer sheath 100 may be changed to mimic thecross-section of the instruments. For example, if the instrument iswider than it is thick, introducer sheath 300 may have an oval, oblongor even substantially flat cross-section.

Ring 350 may serve to provide continuous sealing of introducer sheath300 adjacent trailing end 302 with respect to the body tissue at alltimes as the introducer sheath expands and contracts. Specifically,sealing ring 350 may abut body tissue and surface S1 (i.e., the surfacefacing leading end 304) of sealing ring 350 may contact body tissue toprovide an adequate seal around the circumference of introducer 300.Upon completion of the procedure, any medical devices and instrumentsmay be removed from lumen 308 and the empty, collapsed introducer sheathmay be withdrawn from the patient.

A second embodiment of an introducer sheath having expandable portionsis shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Introducer sheath 400 extends betweentrailing end 402 and leading end 404 and includes body 405 that islongitudinally pleated so as to include a plurality of generallyrectangular segments 410 extending from trailing end 402 to leading end404, segments 410 being connected to one another in a circumferentialmanner to define lumen 408 through body 405. In this case, body 405includes sixteen segments 410.

In the collapsed condition, body 405 has a substantially star-shapedcross-section with edges 412 a,b and eight outer vertices 414 a andeight inner vertices 414 b at leading end 404 and an octagonalcross-section at trailing end 402. Leading end 404 may transition fromthe star-shaped configuration in the collapsed condition to theoctagonal configuration of trailing end 402 in the expanded condition.At the same time, trailing end 402 is capable of maintaining itsoctagonal shape (or substantially circular shape in the case of a body405 having a larger number of segments) in both the collapsed conditionand the expanded condition to provide sealing with body tissuethroughout a procedure. Each segment 410 smoothly and gradually changesat transitions 430 approximately halfway between leading end 404 andtrailing end 402 from the star-shaped configuration to the octagonalconfiguration as shown. In some examples, it may be possible to make thevertices softer to facilitate expansion and collapsing at certainregions.

In its collapsed condition, introducer sheath 400 may have a maximumcross-section “cs3” at leading end 404, measured from one outer vertex414 a to a diametrically opposed outer vertex 414 a, that is betweenabout 12 French and about 16 French, and a maximum outer cross-section“cs4” at trailing end 404 that is between about 18 French and about 20French. Because trailing end 402 remains outside of the body, collapsingto a smaller cross-section is not necessary at this end of introducersheath 400.

Body 405 may transition from the collapsed condition (FIG. 4A) to theexpanded condition (FIG. 4B) as a medical device or instrument, such asdelivery system 10, is advanced through lumen 408, such that thestar-shaped configuration at leading end 404 transforms into anoctagonal configuration as shown, the leading end 404 expanding to across-section “cs5” that is greater than the cross-section “cs3” in thecollapsed condition. Meanwhile, the cross-section at trailing end 402may stay constant at cross-section “cs4” (e.g., the trailing end doesnot collapse or expand). In at least some examples, cross-section “cs5”may be approximately equal to cross-section “cs4” and may be betweenabout 18 French and about 20 French. In such a configuration, the use ofa sealing ring is not necessary as the trailing end provides adequatesealing against tissue at all times.

In a third embodiment, introducer sheath 500 extends between trailingend 502 and leading end 504 and includes a substantially cylindricalbody 505 defining a lumen 508. Body 505 has a cross-section “cs6” atleading end 504 that is slightly smaller than the cross-section “cs7” attrailing end 502. For example, cross-section “cs6” may be between about12 French and about 16 French, while cross-section “cs7” may be betweenabout 18 French and about 20 French.

Body 505 may be formed of at least two portions, including a firstportion 510 and a second portion 520. First portion 510 may include afirst polymeric material, such as PEBAX® or other polymeric materials ofa relatively high durometer, and second portion 520 may include a secondpolymeric material such as PEBAX® or other polymeric materials with alower durometer than section 510. In at least some examples, secondportion 520 is formed of a material that is more elastic than thematerial of first portion 510. As shown, first portion 510 forms themajority of body 505, while second portion 520 forms an elongated stripthat extends from trailing end 502 to leading end 504, the stripgradually increasing in width from trailing end 502 to leading end 504.In one example, in the collapsed condition, second portion 520 formsapproximately 5% of the circumference of body 505 at trailing end 502and approximately 25% of the circumference of body 505 at leading end504.

Due to the elasticity of second portion 520, sheath 500 may be capableof radial expansion to accommodate a medical device or instrument, suchas delivery device 10, that travels through lumen 508. In the expandedcondition, shown in FIG. 5B, outer cross-section “cs6” at leading end504 has increased to outer cross-section “cs8” to allow delivery device10 to pass through lumen 508. In some examples, cross-section “cs8” maybe between about 18 French and about 20 French. As shown, elastic secondportion 520 has stretched slightly to permit this change incross-section. A change may also occur at trailing end 502 withcross-section “cs7” increasing to cross-section “cs9”, although thechange in cross-section at the trailing end may be less than the changein cross-section at leading end due to the size difference of secondportion 520 at each end. Specifically, because second portion 520, whichis more elastic than first portion 510, forms a greater circumferentialpercentage at leading end 504 than at trailing end 502, leading end 504may be capable of greater expansion than trailing end 502.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made to thedisclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit of thedisclosure. For example, an introducer sheath may be used to introduce adelivery device into the heart for prosthetic heart valve replacement,or may be used to introduce devices for valve repair at any of the heartvalves (e.g., aortic valve, mitral valve, pulmonary valve, tricuspidvalve). Additionally, an introducer sheath may be used to deliverinstruments to repair other structures in the heart, such as the chordaetendineae, papillary muscles and the like. Introducer sheaths may alsobe used to deliver embolism prevention devices and stents, grafts andother cardiovascular devices into a patient, to introduce devices andinstruments for other cardiac repair, to introduce any other medicalinstruments or devices into a patient's body in applications other thancardiovascular applications, and to access any bodily location wheretemporarily affixing a sheath within body tissue is useful.

In some embodiments, an introducer sheath includes a body extendingbetween a leading end and a trailing end and including a plurality ofrectangular segments extending from the leading end to the trailing end,the segments being joined to one another along longitudinal edges toform a tubular structure with a lumen therethrough, the segments beingjoined at vertices, the body having a collapsed condition with a firstcross-section and being configured to transition from the collapsedcondition to an expanded condition with a second cross-section when anapparatus is passed through the lumen, the second cross-section having amaximum dimension larger than a maximum dimension of the firstcross-section.

In some examples, the collapsed condition has a star-shapedcross-section; and/or the star-shaped cross-section includes a pluralityof alternating peaks and valleys, the introducer sheath furthercomprising a ring disposed about the body adjacent the trailing end, anda plurality of elastomeric portions interposed in the valleys betweenthe tubular structure and the ring; and/or the expanded condition iscapable of achieving a substantially circular cross-section; and/or thefirst cross-section is a diameter of between about 12 French and about16 French; and/or the second cross-section is a diameter of betweenabout 18 French and about 20 French; and/or in the collapsed condition,the body has one cross-section adjacent the leading end and anothercross-section adjacent the trailing end; and/or in the expandedcondition, the one cross-section is the same as the anothercross-section; and/or the body is configured to return to the collapsedcondition in the absence of the apparatus in the lumen.

In some embodiments, an introducer sheath includes a body extendingbetween a leading end and a trailing end and defining a substantiallytubular configuration with a lumen therethrough, the body having a firstportion including a first material extending from the trailing end tothe leading end, and a second portion including an elastic secondmaterial that extends from the leading end to the trailing end, the bodybeing configured to transition from a collapsed condition to an expandedcondition when an apparatus is passed through the lumen, the expandedcondition having a maximum dimension greater than a maximum dimension inthe collapsed condition.

In some examples, the second portion has a gradually increasing widthfrom the trailing end to the leading end; and/or the second portioncomprises approximately 5% of the cross-section of the body at thetrailing end and approximately 25% of the cross-section of the body atthe leading end; and/or the second material is more elastic than thefirst material; and/or the maximum dimension of portions of the body inthe collapsed condition is between about 12 French and about 16 Frenchand the maximum diameter of the portions of the body in the expandedcondition is between about 18 French and about 20 French; and/or thebody is configured to return to the collapsed condition in the absenceof the apparatus in the lumen; and/or

In some embodiments, a method of delivering a medical apparatus into apatient includes piercing an opening in the patient's body at aninsertion location, at least partially inserting an introducer sheathinto the opening, the insertion sheath including a body having a tubularstructure with a lumen therethrough, the body extending between aleading end and a trailing end, inserting the medical apparatus throughthe lumen of the body, wherein the medical apparatus pushes tubularstructure radially outwardly from a collapsed condition to an expandedcondition, and removing the medical apparatus from the lumen of thebody, whereby the tubular structure returns from the expanded conditionto the collapsed condition.

In some examples, the introducer sheath is formed from at least twomaterials, one of the materials forming an elongated elastomeric stripextending from the leading end to the trailing end, and whereininserting the medical apparatus causes a stretching in the elongatedelastomeric strip; and/or the method further includes removing themedical apparatus through the lumen to allow the tubular structure toreturn to the collapsed condition; and/or the insertion location is theascending aorta; and/or the insertion location is the left ventricle.

It will be appreciated that the various dependent claims and thefeatures set forth therein can be combined in different ways thanpresented in the initial claims. It will also be appreciated that thefeatures described in connection with individual embodiments may beshared with others of the described embodiments.

1. An introducer sheath comprising: a body extending between a leadingend and a trailing end and including a plurality of rectangular segmentsextending from the leading end to the trailing end, the segments beingjoined to one another along longitudinal edges to form a tubularstructure with a lumen therethrough, the segments being joined atvertices, the body having a collapsed condition with a firstcross-section and being configured to transition from the collapsedcondition to an expanded condition with a second cross-section when anapparatus is passed through the lumen, the second cross-section having amaximum dimension larger than a maximum dimension of the firstcross-section.
 2. The introducer sheath of claim 1, wherein thecollapsed condition has a star-shaped cross-section.
 3. The introducersheath of claim 2, wherein the star-shaped cross-section includes aplurality of alternating peaks and valleys, the introducer sheathfurther comprising a ring disposed about the body adjacent the trailingend, and a plurality of elastomeric portions interposed in the valleysbetween the tubular structure and the ring.
 4. The introducer sheath ofclaim 1, wherein the expanded condition is capable of achieving asubstantially circular cross-section.
 5. The introducer sheath of claim1, wherein the first cross-section is a diameter of between about 12French and about 16 French.
 6. The introducer sheath of claim 1, whereinthe second cross-section is a diameter of between about 18 French andabout 20 French.
 7. The introducer sheath of claim 1, wherein, in thecollapsed condition, the body has one cross-section adjacent the leadingend and another cross-section adjacent the trailing end.
 8. Theintroducer sheath of claim 7, wherein, in the expanded condition, theone cross-section is the same as the another cross-section.
 9. Theintroducer sheath of claim 1, wherein the body is configured to returnto the collapsed condition in the absence of the apparatus in the lumen.10. An introducer sheath comprising: a body extending between a leadingend and a trailing end and defining a substantially tubularconfiguration with a lumen therethrough, the body having a first portionincluding a first material extending from the trailing end to theleading end, and a second portion including an elastic second materialthat extends from the leading end to the trailing end, the body beingconfigured to transition from a collapsed condition to an expandedcondition when an apparatus is passed through the lumen, the expandedcondition having a maximum dimension greater than a maximum dimension inthe collapsed condition.
 11. The introducer sheath of claim 10, whereinthe second portion has a gradually increasing width from the trailingend to the leading end.
 12. The introducer sheath of claim 10, whereinthe second portion comprises approximately 5% of the cross-section ofthe body at the trailing end and approximately 25% of the cross-sectionof the body at the leading end.
 13. The introducer sheath of claim 10,wherein the second material is more elastic than the first material. 14.The introducer sheath of claim 10, wherein the maximum dimension ofportions of the body in the collapsed condition is between about 12French and about 16 French and the maximum diameter of the portions ofthe body in the expanded condition is between about 18 French and about20 French.
 15. The introducer sheath of claim 10, wherein the body isconfigured to return to the collapsed condition in the absence of theapparatus in the lumen.
 16. A method of delivering a medical apparatusinto a patient comprising: piercing an opening in the patient's body atan insertion location; at least partially inserting an introducer sheathinto the opening, the insertion sheath including a body having a tubularstructure with a lumen therethrough, the body extending between aleading end and a trailing end; inserting the medical apparatus throughthe lumen of the body, wherein the medical apparatus pushes tubularstructure radially outwardly from a collapsed condition to an expandedcondition; and removing the medical apparatus from the lumen of thebody, whereby the tubular structure returns from the expanded conditionto the collapsed condition.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein theintroducer sheath is formed from at least two materials, one of thematerials forming an elongated elastomeric strip extending from theleading end to the trailing end, and wherein inserting the medicalapparatus causes a stretching in the elongated elastomeric strip. 18.The method of claim 16, further comprising removing the medicalapparatus through the lumen to allow the tubular structure to return tothe collapsed condition.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein theinsertion location is the ascending aorta.
 20. The method of claim 16,wherein the insertion location is the left ventricle.